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Burakumin.

As soon as that word escaped the mouth of a journalist, everyone reflexively turned to look at the source of the sound.

The scene of numerous journalists all simultaneously turning their heads made the reporter who had uttered the word “Burakumin” flustered and cough awkwardly.

[Cough, cough!]

[Don’t you know that’s a forbidden word?]

[Don’t use that in your article. We don’t want to be implicated and get cursed too.]

[Understand the sentiment, but… tsk.]

[Why use such a word?]

Burakumin (部落民).

Those who were discriminated against in Japan.

Corresponding to the outcasts of other countries, they were engaged in professions that people tended to avoid.

Primarily in the slaughter business, executioner roles, leather processing, and other so-called “cruel and dirty” jobs.

In a Japan heavily influenced by Buddhism, those who engaged in “killing” professions became targets of discrimination, a trend that solidified over many years. Additionally, those who lived under discrimination, oppression, and harassment among the general populace came to band together to form communities, which solidified into a term for the oppressed, ‘Burakumin.’

And this discrimination remains to this day.

Officially, it had been quite a while since the class system was abolished, but the echoes of “Burakumin” remained, burdening their descendants.

A type of “blacklist” indicating the social status of Burakumin descendants circulated among the powerful, keeping them from integrating properly into society. The long-standing image of “untouchables” had become so ingrained in the minds of ordinary people that they saw them as individuals to be discriminated against, even mistreated.

That said, the recent establishment of anti-discrimination laws made it illegal to even use the term “Burakumin,” and laws essentially stopped discrimination, leading to a reduction in such behavior. Furthermore, many Burakumin descendants, discriminated against because of their bloodlines, fell into crime or joined the yakuza, making it difficult for people to speak out freely.

Though one might want to look down on others, it wasn’t worth the risk of getting stabbed in the back.

[Alright, I get it. I was wrong. It just slipped out, and I didn’t think it would be sensitive…]

The journalist grumbled while quickly apologizing.

In a situation filled with journalists, it was undoubtedly his mistake to utter a forbidden word. Moreover, the disdainful expression he had expressed was definitely problematic as well.

The existence of warriors is overly obsessed with honor.

To compare such warriors’ honor to that of Burakumin?

There would be no objection if a warrior with a grudge sought revenge. Especially now that their dojo was collapsing in real-time.

[Watch your words. If this dojo goes under, you might just find yourself split in half on a dark street.]

[A journalist should really watch his tongue. Tsk tsk tsk.]

The journalists clicked their tongues and distanced themselves from the offending reporter.

Then they scattered, taking pictures as if nothing had happened.

Click.

Click.

But pretending that nothing occurred wouldn’t make it disappear.

Especially since someone was watching this situation unfold in real time.

“Bur-ra-ku-min…!”

Snap.

The warriors’ honor of Yatadoarangkryu, which had been compared to Burakumin and fallen into the depths of despair, was gritting their teeth so hard it seemed they might shatter. Mitishige glared at the journalist, who stood awkwardly with bloodshot eyes.

The deadly aura was dripping from his gaze.

One might wonder if the warning someone had given about “walking alone at night and being split in half” might just become reality.

But that fiery intent from Mitishige didn’t last long.

[Look here!]

[There’s an altar here, isn’t there?]

[This is indeed an altar, right? I couldn’t see it well due to the cage covering it.]

[Wow, crazy. And there’s a picture? This is getting serious!]

[What does this picture depict? Do you know, Shinto Priest?]

[Yes. It seems to relate to Maori mythology… Ah, it’s Whiro-te-tipua.]

[He-ro te? What did you say?]

[A god also known as Whiro. He is a malevolent god residing in the underworld. He is said to wield sinister powers and diseases and consumes the bodies of the dead to amplify his strength.]

The altar hidden behind the cage was discovered.

And not only that, but its true nature was elaborately explained by the Shinto Priest wearing a fox mask.

“No way…”

Mitishige, forgetting his deadly glare directed at the journalist, looked at the priest with a befuddled expression.

“How did you…?”

While the altar was there, along with a picture of the dark god Whiro, it had been deliberately designed to strip away all identifiable symbols and made to resemble a workstation used for slaughtering animals, and the picture had been warped and ruined through the process of painting over it with blood, making it appear as nothing more than a geometric design.

But how could one see that and immediately declare, “This is the dark god from Maori mythology”?

And that was not the end of it.

[Hmm. Can you take this workstation apart? Ah, thank you. It seems there’s been some trickery hidden inside. Roots of various toxic plants and rotting bones, along with divines a necromancer would use. It appears they did this to enhance the symbolism of the underworld.]

[J-just a minute! Shinto Priest! Those bones… aren’t they human bones?]

[Yes? Yes. It’s obviously a human skull.]

[What the hell! An altar made from human bones?!]

The priest casually ordered to dismantle the altar, and thanks to that, the items initially placed in the altar by Yatadoarangkryu were publicly revealed.

Roots of toxic plants.

The divine objects collected from black markets that flourished throughout Japan.

And the skeletons of the workers they had killed to cover up the fact that there was a secret space.

[Human sacrifice! It’s human sacrifice!]

[The warriors were strengthening their powers through human sacrifice!]

[They were performing forbidden magic, no— not just magic, but human sacrifice?! What the hell is wrong with these lunatics?!]

[It’s no wonder the authorities are coming together to strike at them!]

[Non-citizens! They’re non-citizens!]

[Disgusting non-citizen bastards!]

The journalists all shouted in unison.

These warriors, this lunatic group, were non-citizens.

They were entities that should not exist in Japan.

An enemy that must be shunned— not a Japanese like us!

And as he witnessed that scene, Mitishige was engulfed in despair.

Everything had been exposed.

The facilities that Yatadoarangkryu had secretly built since splitting from Shiheng Style had been laid bare for all to see.

The truth that they had been summoning mana and gaining power while evading the eyes of the Onmyoji and the government had all been revealed.

Thus, Mitishige had no choice but to give everything up.

“Oh, now cooking seems a bit easier.”

The inspector looked at Mitishige, who had fallen into despair as everything he had worked for shattered.

The despair of seeing it all tumble down had turned him into a ‘criminal’ who would be easy to extract information from.

* * *

The inspector was relentless.

Relentless, filled with malice and cunning.

Before starting the interrogation, he showed real-time footage of Yatadoarangkryu being thoroughly demolished and turned into an embodiment of evil, ensuring Mitishige would open his mouth easily. He did not let up his verbal torment, making things even more despairing for him as he watched his own downfall unfold.

“Hey. The faction you’re involved with is finished. You saw that, right? A ton of journalists crashed in, subduing all your warriors, and they captured every bit of that human sacrifice altar you were trying to hide. What do you think will happen when that gets reported? Huh?”

“We didn’t perform human sacrifices! I… I only offered animals!”

“Only animals? Hahaha! What a funny guy! Hey, chief. No, you criminal bastard. Who would believe that? Huh? Who would?”

“I only sacrificed… animals…!”

“This guy cracks me up. Sure, if there were only animal remains, your claim might have a smidgen of credibility. But when we tore down your altar, what popped out? Human skulls! Why? Are you going to say those are monkey skulls? It was obviously human skulls, right? Huh?”

“That’s…”

“Are you going to say you dug up some grave? Well, that sounds good. But nowadays, scientific technology has advanced immensely, and the police have become really skilled. You know how amazing the wizards at the research institute are? They can uncover information even from bits of evidence you wouldn’t want to know about! I once sent a single cigarette butt, and I was stunned to receive a report on the criminal’s health status!”

“…”

“And besides, do you really think the Onmyoji will just sit back and do nothing? They’re aware of what you’ve been doing!”

“…”

“Yeah, you’re keeping your mouth shut, huh? Just keep it sealed. We’ll see who has the last laugh next time.”

And at times, instead of mere words, they would even show direct footage of Yatadoarangkryu’s downfall in real time.

“Look, see? The Onmyoji are crashing in. You know those guys are relentless, right?”

They would display scenes of the Onmyoji swarming in, smashing the dojo, and digging up traces of magic.

[We had no choice! They used whips and carrots to manipulate us! They snuck into our quarters at night, swinging whips and luring us in with promises of riches, so we had no choice but to align ourselves with those non-citizens!]

[What? Evidence? E-evidence… Ah! They were too elusive and thorough to have anything to present! But I will be a witness! Yes, I experienced that!]

[What? You say it doesn’t add up? W-well, yes! I was too flustered! I was so scared back then that my memory got a bit distorted! You know that thing, right? When you experience something shocking your memory can get sealed! Yes, that’s definitely what happened to me!]

[Anyway, it’s all the fault of those Yatadoarangkryu warriors! It’s all their doing!]

A video was played of people echoing, “Anyway, it’s all the fault of the Yatadoarangkryu!”

However, in spite of that cruel torment, Mitishige kept his mouth tightly shut and repeated like a parrot that he was innocent, that he hadn’t committed any crime, ignoring all the inspector’s coaxing to confess.

And finally.

“Tsk. Hey, take a moment to gather your thoughts.”

The hellish interrogation came to an end.

 

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